Method and device for winding bobbins of rubbery and essentially extensible tape material

Abstract

In an apparatus for the simultaneous winding of parallel tapes onto bobbins rotated by contact with an upper run of a conveyor mat carrying the tapes, each of the hubs for the bobbins is carried at the free end of a respective cantilever arm which is pivoted for movement in a vertical plane above the conveyor mat, the cantilever arms all being mounted on respective pivots on a frame structure positioned at one side only of the conveyor mat so as to leave free access at the other side.

I claim: 
     
       1. Apparatus, for winding into individual bobbins a plurality of tapes derived from a common sheet of fabric reinforced rubber by parting the sheet along parallel lines, comprising: (i) a machine frame structure   (ii) a conveyor mat engaged about spaced end rollers journalled on the machine frame structure, said conveyor mat including a plane upper run   (iii) means for guiding the plurality of tapes onto the upper run of the conveyor mat in side-by-side parallel positions   (iv) drive means coupled to one said end roller for driving the conveyor mat in a direction for drawing the plurality of tapes onto the conveyor mat   (v) a plurality of pivots, in the same number as the number of tapes, on a portion of the machine frame structure disposed at one side only of the upper run of the conveyor mat, the pivots being disposed serially in the direction of movement of the upper run of the conveyor mat and having their axes lying in a common plane parallel to the upper run   (vi) corresponding plurality of cantilever arms each carried on a respective pivot and extending from the pivot at an inclination downwards towards the upper run and in the direction of movement of the upper run, the arms all being disposed laterally of and at a level higher than the upper run   (vii) a corresponding plurality of shafts each carried on the free end of a respective cantilever arm and extending from the arm transversely over the upper run normal to the direction of movement of the upper run and parallel thereto   (viii) a corresponding plurality of hubs each carried in freely rotatable manner on a respective one of the shafts, the shafts being of different lengths and the hubs being disposed each at a respective transverse position corresponding to one of the tapes carried on the upper run, each hub being raisable, by movement of its cantilever arm about its pivot, to accommodate increasing radius as a bobbin of the tape is wound onto the hub by movement of the upper run causing rotation of the bobbin resting thereon.